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| Zebra longwing butterfly egg- NG |
You can argue that insect eggs are the seeds of life, for without insects there would be no human life on earth. Love them or hate them, insects are a critical part of the food chain and the web of life on earth.
These tiny remarkable structures are nearly invisible to us in our daily encounters with nature. Demonstrating butterfly eggs at Springfield Conservation Nature Center's Insectorama last night, I didn't encounter a single adult who had ever seen an insect egg although they are constantly around us.
Where can you find insect eggs? Look for them buried deep in wood by the female's ovipositor. Also in soil, on leaves, floating in the wind, suspended by fine threads or attached to the backs of flies. Some even lie in water, breathing through long tubes.
Life is hard if you are an egg. You are a delicacy to surrounding life forms, while others will stick their eggs in you to feed their next generation.
The National Geographic article gives a brief overview of these complex structures. The whole photo gallery can be viewed at this accompanying web site.
